3 Things To Absolutely Replace After a Fire

Whether the fire you experienced in your home was a big one or a relatively small one, the odds are good that you still have quite a bit of cleanup to do. On top of dealing with the general stress of the situation, cleanup of items affected by fire damage can be a huge chore, especially if you don’t know what can be salvaged and what should simply be replaced. While this debate is perfect for belongings such as clothes, pillows and some furniture, there are three things you should always throw away in the aftermath of a high heat fire:

1. Cosmetics

If you have any experience with cosmetics, you know well that they should be kept at room temperature to prevent them from melting and becoming unusable. However, in some instances, using cosmetics that have been exposed to unusually high heat can even be dangerous. The compounds contained in cosmetics of all sorts may begin to undergo chemical reactions when exposed to heat, transforming them and making them unsafe for use on skin later on.

2. Medicine

Like makeup, medicine is made up of a number of chemical compounds, and they are likely to alter when exposed to heat. In the best-case scenario, this could make the medicine ineffective, and in the worst case, it could make anyone who ingests it extremely ill. Throw away all medicine that’s been exposed to fire damage and replace it rather than taking this risk.

3. Food

Food that’s been exposed to high temperatures has the potential to be harmful in a number of different ways, such as:

Spoilage – meats that have been exposed to higher temperatures may have become spoiledFoods may absorb harmful carcinogens from smoke and other burning materialsPlastic may have become partially melted to food

Even if you think your food looks undamaged, it’s worth your time to replace it.

The professionals in North Hollywood, California can help you to get your home smoke-free and back in livable condition, but in the end, it’s up to you to ensure you’re not keeping any potentially harmful belongings around by making the decision to throw away goods like these. Visit http://www.SERVPROnorthhollywood.com for more information on fire damage.